It seems like subscriptions are becoming a real financial burden these days. Everywhere we look, there’s a subscription fee, and it’s easy to forget to cancel one when we’re no longer using it.
I took on a mission to review our spending and audit our subscriptions. One of the first things I checked was our cable and internet bill. It was around $190 a month, and $100 of that was for our cable TV package.
As I started thinking about it, I realized how little we actually watch our cable TV channels. We mostly watch local news channels and Lakers games on Spectrum Sportsnet. Other than that, we weren’t really using our cable TV much. Most cable subscriptions these days are streaming only, so we don’t even have a DVR anymore.
I had a feeling we could get our Local News channels with an HD Antenna, so we’d mostly be watching Spectrum Sportsnet. The rest of our content came from services like Netflix, AppleTV, and Disney+. So, I figured it wasn’t worth $100 a month to watch the Lakers. I decided to set up an HD Antenna for us instead.
My HD Antenna Setup
I already had some of the equipment because I had an HD Antenna set up a few years ago at our old apartment. If you already have high-speed internet, AppleTVs, or Amazon Fire TV Sticks, you can easily buy the following items for around $200 and then you’ll be done with the setup costs.
- Check your area to see how far you are from the closest signal towers for your local channels. To do that you can go to: TV Tower Map and DTV Reception Maps or I found Signal GH on my iPhone more easier to read.
- Once you know the direction and distance to the nearest TV signal towers, you can buy the best antenna to reach that signal. Just remember that some of the claims on the product’s page might be a bit exaggerated (like how far the antenna can reach). I tested my antenna with my setup and found that it wasn’t working as well as I hoped, so I decided to get a more powerful one. I’ve had some trouble with indoor flat antennas in the past, so I went with a larger directional antenna instead.
- Here’s how you can set up your TV Tuner: First, connect your antenna to the HDHomeRun device. Then, plug the HDHomeRun TV Tuner into your internet using the ethernet cable.
- Set up the HDHomeRun app on your phone, then connect to your HDHomeRun Tuner.
- Run a Channel Scan, which can take a few minutes. If the channels that you are trying to view do not appear on the list, try adjusting your antenna towards the TV signal towers and try the Scan again.
- If you’ve already got your streaming devices (AppleTV or Fire TV Stick) set up, just download the HDHomeRun app or a similar app if you’re using a different device. The app should find your device on the same network in no time!
- That’s it, you now should be able to watch your local channels on those streaming devices (up to 4 at a time).
Result: No more cost for Cable TV and just paying for internet with my ISP saving $100 a month
Streaming Services Consolidation
Guess what? I managed to merge my Netflix and Disney+ subscriptions into my Verizon Wireless plan. And guess what else? I saved a whopping $6 per month for each of those services by signing up through Verizon! For Disney+, it even upgraded me to include Hulu and ESPN+ at the same price. And for Netflix, it threw in Max, which I had no idea about. So, I bundled my services with my cellular bill and got even more bang for my buck. Oh, and did I mention I caught a Lakers game when they broadcasted it on ESPN? That was a total bonus!
Result: Got 3 additional streaming services while paying $12 less a month
Free Streaming Services
Other than the paid streaming services, here are some free streaming services that you may or may not have heard of.
Premium Streaming Services
If you’re like my uncle, who asked me about my setup and even had me help him set it up, you might have some Channels on your cable TV service that you really value, like the Tennis Channel and TFC (The Filipino Channel). Have you ever wondered if you could get these services without cable? Well, guess what? Most of them are actually available as their own streaming services!
iWantTFC – $4.99 or $12.99 (no ads) a month (annual plan discounts available)
Tennis Channel – $9.99 a month ($109.99 a year if you sign up for the annual plan)
My uncle told me they were paying a whopping $200 a month for their cable TV. But guess what? After they got the antenna and all the necessary equipment, their monthly bill for their basic TV is now a mere $15!
It’s been about 5 months since I made the switch, and I’m so glad I did! My aunt and uncle, who I set up about 4 months ago, are also loving it.
If you have any questions on the setup so that you can save some money yourself please feel free to reach out!
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